Waiheke Island in New Zealand is an island of nature. It has many beautiful beaches, vineyards and hiking trails for outdoor lovers. This tiny island is a popular short-trip destination from Auckland, and has gained more popularity since it has been voted as one of the world’s best islands on a travel magazine.

 

Ferry services from Auckland

It is just a 35-minutes ferry ride from Auckland City to Waiheke Island. There are several ferry companies but I think Fullers is the easiest as its schedule is the most frequent – usually one ferry for every half an hour. It is easy to check the schedule online and there is no need to book in advance. We bought the NZ$60 combo per person which includes the return ferry + hop on hop off bus ticket.

Before we departed for Waiheke Island, we had a delicious breakfast at Queens Café Bistro near the Auckland Ferry Terminal… and we also met Captain Owl! (though we initially thought it was Police Owl…) It is a smart advertisement from Flight Centre as they placed 47 owls in Auckland, and you stand a chance to win the prize if you post photos with them.

 

Waiheke Island Resort

The first impression of this resort is: very, very hilly!

I immediately regretted that I carry a suitcase for this trip, but Ben was more pitiful because he carried a super heavy suitcase for his business conference in Auckland. We had to walk all the way up to the reception at the top of the hill, and then walked downhill to our room.

The whole resort is on a slope!

The view from our room is great

Swimming pool

The view is amazing

A selfie in the balcony in the evening

Having a breakfast at the resort

Overall it is a unique resort with a great view, great room, great service. I think the most special thing about this resort is that it has a feel of ‘kiwis’ – a feel of New Zealand. It is very relaxing to just sit down and enjoy a great view of nature here.

 

Hop on hop off bus

Since we did not have a car and were too lazy to plan our trip, we just took the hop on hop off bus that so we could visit popular attractions while listening to the tour guide.

The tour guide said the price of houses here is about NZ$1m, and those at the seaside cost NZ$1.5m. I wish I can own a house here.

 

Stonyridge vineyard

This is one of the vineyards that the hop on hop off bus will stop by. The guide said it has a romantic view. But it is quite crowded!

Unfortunately, the kitchen was closed when we got there. We did the wine tasting for NZ$10 for 3 small glasses of wine, Stonyridge Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Stonyridge Faithful 2016 (syrah) and Stonyridge Cabernet Franc Blend 2016 (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot).

The wine tasting guide told us that the only white wine produced on Waiheke Island is Sauvignon Blanc because of its hot climate!

 

Oneroa Village

Oneroa Village is a village that has more shops and restaurant in Waiheke Island.

 

Palm Beach

Palm Beach is about a 5-10 minutes walk from Waiheke Island Resort. It is a beautiful beach though it may not be as popular as Onetangi Beach and Oneroa Beach. There is no lifeguard here but it is safe to swim. We did not swim in the end but I forced Ben to take some bikini photos for me since I already brought it to the beach.

We were tempted to visit Little Palm Beach which is located further west from Palm Beach, because it is a nude beach. However, it would be rude if we go there without taking our clothes off (not planning to be naked as we are shy). I think we can see naked people from Palm Beach but it is not clear enough.

 

Waiheke Island is suitable for travellers who love nature

Ben kept pronouncing it as ‘Waikeke Island’ and I kept following him. 😂 Anyway, we recently just travelled to Bintan and we realise these two islands are totally different. Waiheke island is more about nature, hiking, vineyard and kiwis. If you love nature, you will love to explore this island!

In my opinion, spending 1-2 day on this island is good enough. This destination may not be suitable for the elderly (especially without a car) because it is very hilly in many areas.